After providing the materials your child needs, fight the urge to overmanage the activity. The kids might not interact much at this age, but they're learning to and are eager to see other faces and kids.
Group expeditions that bring a bunch of toddlers together in an open space -a park, gym, recreation center, or someone's backyard - can be fun for adults and kids. Their "drawings" are abstract at best, but they'll delight in watching their scribblings appear. Sidewalk chalk comes in big sizes, perfect for the toddler grip. Encourage your child to pick up leaves and rocks, feel the bark on trees, and collect bugs. Be sure to cover sandboxes when not in use to keep pets and other animals from contaminating them. Always supervise kids around water, and dump out water from containers when you're done. Create a sandbox or take kids to the beach to let them feel sand on their toes and fingers. Create a water table or use a small basin or bucket to float boats, use other water toys, and splash around. Even just in the backyard, water and sand are great tactile attractions for toddlers. During the toddler years, kids learn to kick, throw, and catch balls. Have a variety of balls around to play with. Imitate animals (walk like a penguin, jump like a kangaroo, etc.) or dance to music. On flat ground, depending on your child's age and abilities, practice walking backwards or on tiptoes. Go up and down together on carpeted stairs, but be sure to replace gates when you are done. Plastic containers with lids, plastic cups and plates, and just about anything you can stack, pile, fill and empty, or nest also make great toys for toddlers. To encourage imagination, create a toy box with dolls, safe housekeeping items like clean sponges or brushes, dress-up clothes, and toy telephones (without cords). Younger toddlers will like wrapping paper, wax paper, or textured toys that are fun to touch and crinkle. Set your older toddler up with some Play-Doh (store-bought or homemade), finger paint, or other age-appropriate materials that can safely be squeezed, patted, poked, and prodded. Toddlers love to use their sense of touch. Turn some low-lying cabinets into exploration shelves, stacked with things a toddler can pull out, bang together, and shake around. Choose only child-safe items and be sure to supervise. Try playing physical or verbal imitation games. Toddlers also enjoy imitating the behavior of others.
Ask "Where's your nose?" or "Can you open your mouth?" Fill a small photo album with pictures of relatives and friends that you can look through together or let your child look at on his or her own.
Securely set up a mirror at eye level and let your child explore his or her own face. At this stage, kids learn to recognize themselves in pictures or mirrors. Possibilities for indoor amusement are endless here are just a few: Allow plenty of time every day for your child to be active throughout the day. Letting kids explore is one way to see that toddlers get enough daily physical activity. In other words, they begin to think: "I can do it!" Doing so not only adds skills, it boosts their sense of confidence and competence. Whether it's kicking a ball or climbing stairs, they can persist until they get it right. That development is all the better if you ask questions: What color is it? Is it big or little?Įxploring also gives toddlers a chance to work on important motor skills. It's one thing to see an orange, but it's another to hold it in your hand, feel its cool, smooth surface, smell its fragrance, maybe even taste it. They learn more about the world and how it works. Why Explore?Įxploring the inside and outside world - with supervision, of course - is important for toddlers' emotional, social, and physical development. From a walk in the woods to a trip to a museum, parents can give kids the space and freedom to investigate, which is an important part of helping them grow. That means close supervision, but with chances to enjoy different environments. Supervision and safety precautions, such as gates and electrical outlet covers, are important.īut you'll also want to offer your toddler chances to explore. For many in this age group, "outside" and "play" are becoming common requests.Īs a parent, you're focused on keeping your little one safe. They're learning to talk, to walk and run, and to assert their independence. Between the ages of 1 and 3, toddlers are literally scooting away from babyhood in search of new adventures. Toddlers - it's hard to imagine a more fitting name for this stage of development.